Published July 9, 2024
A new partnership between the USD 443 Bright Beginnings Early Childhood Center and the DC3 Early Childhood Education program will help Bright Beginnings staff members stay current with their state certifications. Pictured above (left to right) are Dr. Fred Dierksen, USD 443 Superintendent; Sheila Bertelsen, Bright Beginnings Education Specialist; Bianca Alvarez, Bright Beginnings Principal/Head Start Director; Dr. Harold Nolte, DC3 President; and Lorna Ford, DC3 Early Childhood Coordinator. [Photo by Lance Ziesch]Through a new partnership with Dodge City Community College (DC3) Early Childhood Education (ECE), paraeducators from USD 443’s Bright Beginnings Early Childhood Center will be better able to keep their state credentials up to date.
For the past two years, Lorna Ford, DC3 Early Childhood Coordinator, and Bright Beginnings program management have investigated ways of obtaining a Child Development Associate (CDA) equivalent state certification.
“The ECE program has been working with Bright Beginnings for several years,” Ford said. “And some of their staff were DC3 ECE students. Sheila Bertelsen, Bianca Alvarez and I also serve on several community councils/groups together.”
In addition, Ford said Bright Beginnings staff members are required to earn their CDA, which has to be renewed every three years, or they must obtain a one-year degree.
“Previously, Bright Beginnings staff could serve candidates as a Professional Development Specialist [PDS], but requirements have changed, and no one from the candidate’s organization can serve as their PDS,” she said. “I am a PDS and one of the few in western Kansas. With my schedule changing and taking on the center’s coordinator role, I am not as free as I was to be able to serve as a PDS. All of this led to us talking more about Bright Beginnings staff earning their one-year certificates.”
Bertelsen, who is a Bright Beginnings Education Specialist (and also a DC3 Board of Trustees member), said it was Dr. Clayton Tatro, DC3 Vice President for Workforce Development, who suggested that the program try and utilize funds from the Kansas Board of Regents Kansas Promise Act Scholarship.
“The Kansas Promise Scholarship offered a way for our paraeducator staff to fund their educational endeavors by declaring Early Childhood as a major and pursuing a CDA-equivalent state certificate or Early Childhood associate degree,” she said.
Bertelsen said it was important for Bright Beginnings management to find a way to obtain credentialing through the college sector because such a pathway allows paras to use college hours to pursue a certificate or degree.
“College hours do not expire as a traditional CDA would,” she said. “It was also crucial to the district and our program to grow our own [educators]. This pathway allows for paraeducators to work throughout the day and complete coursework after school hours. It also lends to a four-year degree in Elementary Education, as the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) Licensure is pre-K through Grade 6.”
Bright Beginnings, which serves children and families from prenatal care to age 5, is primarily supported by grants, Bertelsen said. These funds come from federal Head Start and Early Head Start grants, state Early Head Start grants, and At-Risk preschool grants. And USD 443 serves as the program’s grantee.
“These grants, crucial for our functioning, necessitate CDA credentials at a minimum,” she said. “Pursuing the CDA Equivalent State Certification by our staff will enhance their professional growth and elevate the standard of high-quality early childhood education we provide to the children and families we serve.”
The CDA requires 120 hours of study in early childhood development, Bertelsen said. It is offered in three areas: infants and toddlers, preschool, and family services. These credentials require recertification every three years, and previously, only staff participated in the traditional CDA certification.
Because Bright Beginnings requires its staff members to obtain their CDAs in 18 months or less, Ford said the program is presented in a sequence of classes that are offered over five semesters, beginning with summer 2024.
“The first group will take classes summer 2024, fall 2024, spring 2025, summer 2025 and fall 2025,” she said. “Then the sequence of classes will repeat. Any new staff can join in at any time. These classes will be offered either online, or face-to-face, in the evening or summer semesters to accommodate work schedules.”
On May 24, students and staff representing the new DC3-USD 443 Early Childhood partnership gathered for a photo at the Bright Beginnings Early Childhood Center. Pictured (left to right) are Sheila Bertelsen, Bright Beginnings Education Specialist; Lorna Ford, DC3 Early Childhood Coordinator; Evelyn Tonche Perez (sitting on stairs); Mayra Lopez-Gomez (standing on stairs); Juana Retana (top of photo); Bianca Alvarez, Bright Beginnings Principal/Head Start Director; Noemi Rivas; and Bethany Galdamez. [Photo by Lance Ziesch]
Bertelsen said the DC3 Admissions and Financial Aid departments were very helpful in enrolling students and verifying that they had met the Kansas Promise Act Scholarship requirements.
“This summer, we began a cohort of paraeducators who started their studies by taking three DC3 CDA College Equivalency Pathway courses,” she said. And they will continue the pathway by taking three college courses each semester going forward.”
The first six participants of the program include Mayra Lopez-Gomez, Cassity Hargis, Evelyn Tonche Perez, Juana Retana, Noemi Rivas, and Bethany Galdamez. And from there, Ford said the program will grow as Bright Beginnings adds new employees.
“Some of the Bright Beginnings staff who have completed their one-year certificate previously have gone on to earn their two-year degrees and then their four-year teaching degrees,” Ford said. “This partnership is an opportunity to continue growing our own teachers in our local community.”
By Lance ZieschDC3 Director of Marketing and Public Relations